


Fortitudo

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: FEATURING DANTE FROM DE-, I just wanted to write bellydancing and Tethys being gr8, Mentions of Death, also Joshua singing :'), implied gerik/innes/tethys, like if you squint hard enough theres something but w/e it's platonic anyways, yeah there's like 20 characters mentioned I shouldnt tag them all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 18:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7813069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tethys dances her feet bloody to keep their army alive, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fortitudo

_“She’s a mercenary as well…?” He snorted. “In what way does a dancer help in battle?”_

_“In more ways than you know, Prince. Trust me.”_

That short, small, overheard conversation in memory always brought a little smirk to Tethys’ lips. She was never angry at that common question. After all, she had only minimal fighting skills; enough if someone decided to put their hands on her, but not enough for a battlefield. If only they could just think a little outside the box…It was the question Innes asked when saw her by Gerik’s side ( _“I only hired you, Gerik.” “Sorry, she sort of comes with the package. Consider yourself lucky.” “Lucky?”_ ), that many of her now allies asked when Gerik’s Mercenaries joined the crusade, even Gerik asked it when she approached with the idea of joining him. Her answer was always a smile and a giggle, “you’ll see~!”

And then, battle came. And the jingle of bells, the flutter of fabric, and her smile brought a whole new experience to the table. She raised morale, cheered people on, brought even the weariest of soldiers to raise their weapon and keep fighting on. The energy she seemed to radiate infected them all, inspiring blood to flow to sore limbs once again. Her happiness spread like a virus, bringing hope and relief. And no one could explain exactly how, and if they asked, Tethys would simply shrug before cartwheeling off. “That’s just my magic, I suppose.”

(They seemed to think she meant that literally, or at least, Lute did. Tethys wondered why she’d been followed by the little mage for a week, before the girl wandered off and didn’t return, disappointed and without an answer.)

But on nights like this, her skill was especially needed. At least, she felt so. The battle of the day (they never seemed to end) had been won, but not without a cost. Gilliam and Amelia were no longer among them, the first of their army to die…Reality of the war had set in long ago, but there always the warm thought of how their ragtag group managed, seemingly purely running off mutual friendship and trust. The belief that if everyone worked together, and worked hard enough, none of them would have to die.

Deep down, they knew it was wishful thinking.

The night was abnormally quiet. Some had already returned to their tents, others ate in silence around campfires. Usually, there be some noise. Natasha and the other healers tending to wounds, boasts of today’s victories, Joshua and Gerik gambling away in the tiny (often intoxicated) group they formed, and just friendly conversations. But aside from words of comfort and occasional mutterings, silence. 

Tethys sat on a log, watching Ewan nap away. The battle wore him out, as did chasing around fireflies with Ross, and a typical heated debate with a certain mage (he acted like his normal self, but she knew he missed her…Amelia hung around him and Ross often, she recalled). Gerik and Joshua talked as normal, if not a little less lively. 

L'arachel was, to the surprise (though not anymore, at least) of others, there and speaking to Marisa, who listened and nodded as she usually did (Prince Innes and Princess L'arachel, on equal footing with simple mercenaries, who would ever have thought? Not that Tethys thought them unwelcome. L'arachel was pleasant company, and she loved teasing their cute prince so).

 But in the slowly growing darkness, the chirping of crickets disguised their very existence there, in the middle of a field in the midst of their travels.

_…By Latona, she couldn’t take it anymore._

“Gerik.” She said, elbowing her boss. “I…have an idea.”

Said man raised an eyebrow, only to grin when she whispered her thoughts into his ear. It was something they’d done a few times before, something they normally didn’t have the time for. “…Been awhile since we’ve done that, eh?”

That caught the attention of the others, as Marisa and Joshua both looked to him. L'arachel did so too, but much more confused.

“Tethys has a little proposition for us, I think you know what she means.” He said, and she giggled. Joshua grinned and shook his head, Marisa sighed, and L'arachel tilted her head in further confusion.

Tethys stood then, her figure illuminated by the campfire. Her hands went to the fabric that was tied around her waist, and had it been earlier in their friendship, L'arachel might have accused her of beginning to strip (she knew better by now). 

Instead, she retied it so remained there, but much lower. And what had previously been something akin to a belt, unravelled to be much longer than originally thought (the Jehannian dancer was just full of surprises, wasn’t she? You’d think her more a street magician than a dancer, at times). It hung loosely, the silk thin and trailing only down the back of her, still leaving her legs shrouded in opalescent netting visible from the front. She stood tall, arms out with rings in hand, as she did at the start of all her dances. 

Different this time, however, was Gerik patting a beat on his legs, and the other two of their team following in turn. Without a second to spare, Tethys’ dance begun.

She stood on the tips of her toes, spinning effortlessly and feet moving blindingly fast she went. The material connected to the rings, no different than her pants in color (dark red at the base but varying in color, opalescent and shimmering, sheer and scratchy), caught air and wavered around her. She then begun a prance around the perimeter of the campfire, giving a hop there and a hip sway now and then. 

She was certain, by now, people were watching. _Good._ An audience was her goal, and so she smiled yet again, stopping opposite of her teammates with an orange glow on her and heat licking at her bare stomach. She let the rings fall around her wrists, arms out as her hips travelled side to side, slowly and in rhythm with the makeshift beat. She dipped forward, braid whipping along with her, and gyrated her hips again. The cloth around her lower half moved with it, sending purposeful folds down the length of it one after another.

Comrades walked by, a crowd had started now. She turned to face them, giving a welcoming look as she spun again. A few more dips, this time backwards with her face to the growing audience though her body looked the other way (it looked like it’d be painful, but she did so smoothly, so effortlessly). Her hips shook, sending waves of ripples through the silk around her as she glided along the perimeter again, unnatural but all the more hypnotizing in flow as she moved despite the gentle, soundless stomping of naked feet on grass. It was as if she walked on air, unaffected by gravity. 

When she stopped she grave a quick whirl, pulling off the binding of her braid. Both the cloth around her and sleek but slight curls followed with her, a tornado of elegance and energy. The tempo quickened, and so did she.

Her gestures were calm, arms stroking at the air, but hips fluttering with the increased speed, benefitted by her curves. She heard a whistle, recognizing the face of a blonde Renais knight, before his friend scolded him (at least it wasn’t that obnoxious rogue. If there was someone Tethys wanted to kick in the nether region so hard their reproductive organs shot into their chest, it was Rennac). She giggled again, closer to the side that held her audience. If they wanted a show, she’d deliver. She slowed, crouching a bit and whole body wavering. And then, to the surprise of anyone outside of their immediate friend group, a voice joined the song. 

Joshua, without any hint of embarrassment, begun to sing in Jehanna’s native tongue. It wasn’t loud nor quiet, and no one understood the words, but they didn’t need to. L'arachel happily began to clap in unison with the song, several others beginning to do so as well (Artur, Neimi, Colm, Vanessa, Ross, Natasha…Tethys could name them all, their support sent warmth to her chest in a way the flames behind her couldn’t).

Her stomach muscles rippled, and she leaned in a circle, accentuating the movement with her hands dragging along her body and her gaze never wandering. She twirled, her back facing a group of men, most notably knights and a few royals. She shot a sensuous glance their way, leaning forward in way that made her… _considerable_ rear very apparent. She stook her leg out a bit, tip-toed and firm before smirking and rolling and spinning her lower half tantalizingly slowly and brushing her hand along her thigh, almost tempting them to come near. Some blushed, others looked away, a few did both. 

The one that amused her the most was Innes, who had actually been watching with an impressed smirk, only to quickly step back and let his unsure expression go masked by the approaching night. And the Renais knights, the youngest hiding his face, blonde one grinning, the third, more serious one clearly embarrassed. She gave a small wink to no one in particular, turning slightly to her left, where the others of the crowd remained, with the aforementioned seated as they watched, the rest stood behind them. 

She leaned again, less so this time, giving a quick shake of the rear and hips before beginning to gyrate and spin again (there was a share of red cheeks there too, she noted. Those of the holy type much more obviously). When she came to a stop, her back was to them so they only had a view of gracefully swaying hair and hips, followed by whistles and cheers. 

Gerik and the others continued their tasks, though Joshua slowed to a stop, his vocal cords needing a break. Their proud expressions and the sound of everyone clapping or humming or patting feet in a single rhythm made the sweat on her form and growing exhaustion much less noticeable. With Joshua returning to drumming on himself, the song sped up again, enough that even Marisa wondered if Tethys could match it.

And of course, she did, sweeping among the open space only to stop and yank herself to the side, swiftly in tune with the change in beat. She turned in a full 360 slowly, hips moving in and out, leg jerking, midriff billowing like that of the waves of the ocean. Her chest was next when she stilled, it was hard to resist the swoosh of skin and the ringing of her jewellry (but wasn’t that the point of the dance? To become completely engulfed in ever little shiver and motion of her body). The pace returned to normal, she took steps back and front, hips repeating that same captivating pattern. 

Then she swooshed so each group had only a view of her slides, and bent back, leg rising to stab the air with only one tip-toed foot to balance her and her head almost to the ground. It sent an amazed cheer through near all within her radius. And she spun downwards to a crouch, the cloth around her rings joining her in motion until she rised and hopped to a stop. 

The song ended, and one final time she spun back up to face the onlookers, arms out and body standing tall. She was thanked in the form of applause and whistles, she bowed in return. She knew from the soreness throughout her and the sweat beating down her she couldn’t start again now that she stopped, and sufficient breath evaded her.

But she had no need, the smiles and aura of liveliness and determination that replaced the sorrow-coated expressions she’d seen earlier was payment enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I like to imagine the dancing Tethys does is bellydancing, based on her outfit and all.).
> 
> My inspirations for this were these two videos, her dance is supposed to be a sort of mix of these!:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2BPZcROWOI&list=PLRKG_5Il8nPXnBIBk2WTo2Ue_zpM9zxKt&index=2  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0WaX84cflc&list=PLRKG_5Il8nPXnBIBk2WTo2Ue_zpM9zxKt&index=1


End file.
